BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Kids are usually drawn to Nickelodeon Universe for the rides but on Friday morning, it was all about ladybugs.
Roughly 75,000 of the black and red insects were released inside the mall, as part of a long-standing tradition.
With the help of volunteers from Girl Scouts of America and Torah Academy, the ladybugs being released will help maintain the plants inside the mall.
“So they are going to be really nice and friendly on you and on our plants,” said an educator assisting with Friday's release.
Among the volunteers was 9-year-old Tamar Pittermin, who found a couple to name before being released.
"We each got like 100 ladybugs," she said. Holding one up she added, "His name is Spotless."
According to Jill Renslow, the senior VP of business development at Mall of America, this has been an ongoing tradition since the mall opened in 1992.
"And we do it a few times a year based upon when we need it. It works as a natural pesticide for our 30,000 plants inside MOA," Renslow said.
And serves as a great lesson for these students and the rest of the world as we approach Earth Day.